Swellable packers have packing elements composed of a swellable material, such as a swellable elastomer. One commercially available swellable packer is the FRAXSIS® series annulus swellable packer available from Weatherford International Ltd. (“FRAXSIS” is a UK registered trademark of Swelltec Limited.). The packer has a swellable elastomer bonded thereto. When deployed downhole and subjected to an activating agent (such as water, oil, or both), the swellable material swells on the packer and eventually engages a surrounding sidewall of a tubular or open hole.
In some cases, operators may want to anchor a swellable packer in an open hole. In these situations, devices, such as the ROK-ANKOR® slip mechanism from Petrowell Limited, can be included on the tubing string as separate anchoring devices. (“ROK-ANKOR” is a UK registered trademark of Petrowell Limited.) However, these device require separate setting procedures and complicate the arrangement of components on the tubing string.